oski

Blažek 2017a:295 entertains the idea that Armenian oski ‘gold’ may be a loanword from Luwian wašḫa-. Although the etymology of the Armenian word is a well-known crux (see the overview in EDAIL:532f. with refs., cf. also Blažek 2017a:279f.), a derivation from the Luwian word can safely be discarded since, on the one hand, Hieroglyphic Luwian wašḫa- does not mean ‘gold’ (see the discussion s.v., contra Blažek 2017a:283‒285), and in Cuneiform Luwian it refers to an implement (see s.v.). On the other hand, setting aside the sibilant, the phonemes of the Armenian word cannot regularly be explained from wašḫa- (the few Luwian loanwords in Armenian show a → a and ḫ → x substitutions [see in general Simon 2013b], initial w- should have led to Armenian g- [or to v- in loanwords after this sound change] and the Armenian word shows -wo- and -ea- stems, not an a-stem).

[Zs.S.]

Last updated: 24 November 2020